[sustran] Re: What is wrong with congestion charging?

[Walter Hook]

Eric

thanks for the clarification.

ITDP is much more focused on parking these days, but parking reform and
congestion charging are not mutually exclusive.  not sure why you see this
as an either/or thing, cities need revenue and a congestion charge is not a
bad place to get it, all the problems with CC notwithstanding.

I dont see a lot of positive political utility in your poking holes in
positive efforts to implement congestion charging.   why not focus on
getting your alternatives implemented in some places?

best
walter

On Mon, Dec 12, 2011 at 10:59 AM, eric britton <eric.britton at ecoplan.org>wrote:

> Salve Walterus, Thanks for asking. ****
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> My view in a few short lines: It's like that silly word "smart" that crops
> up all over the place.  Every time I hear that knee-jerk, self-aggrandizing
> word I have to wonder who is selling what to whom.  As I said in Barcelona
> last week, I may not be all that clear when someone talks to me about a
> "smart city", but I sure as hell know that a stupid city is.****
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> I look at what we have achieved with variants on this concept in London<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_congestion_charge>,
> Stockholm <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_congestion_tax>,
> Singapore<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Road_Pricing_%28Singapore%29>,
> Milan <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecopass>, and of course Singapore  --
> not altogether without accomplishments, but . . .  --  and I just don't see
> it as the best way to go for the cities of the (fast) developing world.  It
> strikes me as a great idea, but an extremely challenging one. Beyond that
> there is simply not enough experience with making it work in the kinds of
> circumstances that characterize the cities of the Global South. ****
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> Of course China could do it and is and will. Good on them. I hope it
> works, no I pray it works, but let's see how their best efforts pan out
> before talking about this approach in cash-strapped economies.  It would be
> a great thing indeed if China were to  emerge as a living laboratory and
> proving ground of sustainable transport concepts that can then be studied
> and adapted for application in a variety of other circumstances.  Instead
> of a kind of haunting graveyard of the very worst from 20th century
> America. ****
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> For the rest, let me propose this. If you are cooking a congestion
> charging proposal for a given developing city, let me see your objectives,
> budget, competences and level of beyond-rhetorical political support, and I
> am sure that with a few weeks in that place and with a little help from my
> friends we can come up with a stronger and more affordable proposal to deal
> with the problems that the CC project targets.****
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> All that said, show me your CC proposal and give me a few days in that
> place to talk with a couple of dozen well placed people there and I am sure
> that we can come up with an alternative project that will do more, better
> and cheaper.****
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> Eric****
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> PS. Bill Vickery was my professor of theory and advisor at Columbia. I was
> very fortunate to have talked with him about all that was behind the
> concept of charging for road space. He often made the point that the
> simplest way that would do the job was the best (no exceptions, ever) . And
> he very often proposed that full cost pricing of parking was the simplest
> way. ****
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> PPS. Keep your eye on London. ****
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> -----Original Message-----****
>
> From: Walter Hook [mailto:walter.hook at itdp.org] ****
>
> Sent: Monday, 12 December, 2011 14:51****
>
> To: eric britton; sustran-discuss-bounces+whook=itdp.org at list.jca.apc.org;
> 'Global 'South' Sustainable Transport'; 'ashok datar'****
>
> Cc: 'Michael Replogle'; 'Clean Air Initiative -- Asia'****
>
> Subject: Re: [sustran] Delhi plans congestion charge to ease gridlock |
> The Guardian****
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> Eric, sorry, I do not speak latin.  What is wrong with congestion
> charging? ****
>
> Sent via BlackBerry****
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> *________________________________________***
>
> World Streets****
>
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>    Eric Britton, Editor / Managing Director****
>
>    World Streets <http://www.worldstreets.org/> / New Mobility
> Partnerships <http://www.newmobility.org/> / Sustainability Seminar Series<http://seminars.ecoplan.org/>
> ****
>
>    8, rue Jospeh Bara   75006 Paris France****
>
>    Tel. +331 7550 3788   |  editor at newmobility.org   |  Skype: newmobility
> ****
>
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> P *Avant d'imprimer, pensez à l'environnement*
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